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| Shonagh Paterson Stroma, Farr, Inverness Registered Hypnotherapist for Inverness and the Highlands & Islands |
Fears and phobias - What is social phobia?
Social anxiety disorder, also known as social phobia, has been misunderstood and under-diagnosed. It was first fully recognized as a chronic and debilitating mental health disorder as recently as 1980. Some health professionals believe it's one of the most under-diagnosed and under-treated mental health problems around. As a result, for years many people with this condition have been forced to suffer in silence - some becoming severely depressed or turning to alcohol. |
Social phobia
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Professor Ronald Kessler, Harvard Medical School |
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Social phobia is tragic and the tragedy is that it's relatively easily treated but most people don't get treatment.
By and large, people with social phobia dread and avoid situations that fall into two broad groups. |
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The first of these is situations that involve social interaction in everyday non-threatening social situations. |
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The second involve situations that require performing in front of, or being watched by other people. |
The overwhelming anxiety felt by someone who has a social phobia or social anxiety disorder is much more than the normal feelings of discomfort or shyness that most of us feel from time to time.
Shyness and social phobia are in fact two separate problems.
Shy people can be very uncomfortable around others but they don't experience this extreme, paralysing fear in social situations. Nor would shy people go out of their way to avoid social interaction at all costs. Social anxiety can make something as simple as a visit to a restaurant a truly terrifying experience. With social phobia, fear and anxiety can dominate your life. |
A person with social phobia has persistent, excessive, overwhelming feelings of extreme fear of social situations.
This intense and completely irrational anxiety felt by someone with social phobia can result in an inability to go about his or her daily life. People with social anxiety disorder usually readily acknowledge that the fear is unwarranted, extreme, or completely disproportionate to any real risk the situation poses.
If you have social phobia you might feel forced to suffer in silence, embarrassed about your fears. It may seem as though those around you can't possibly even begin understand the full extent of your suffering. It can often be completely debilitating and a huge obstacle to living a normal life.
People who experience social anxiety are terrified that other people will be judging them. They often suffer from low self esteem and believe that they aren't as good as others. This makes social situations very unpleasant or sometimes out of the question for them.
Social phobia can be specific or generalised.
A person can have extreme fear regarding specific situations. Someone with social anxiety disorder may be filled with dread at the thought of giving a presentation, but have little or no fear about meeting strangers at a party. On the other hand, social anxiety may prevent another person from attending that party, but they’d be perfectly happy to make a short speech at work. Fear of public speaking is by far the most common type of specific social phobia.
Hypnotherapy may be able to help you overcome your social anxiety
Are you constantly anxious about interacting with other people or feel that people are judging you? Hypnosis may be the way to put an end to this. Hypnosis is so powerful, because it deals with your mind..... And it's your mind that's responsible for your thoughts, your habits, your attitudes and your beliefs. Change your mind and you can do just about anything. |
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Why not contact me to find out more about how hypnotherapy can help you overcome your social anxiety?.....And remember that your first hypnotherapy session comes with a guarantee.
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Please contact me to find out more about how hypnotherapy may be able to help you deal with your fears and phobias. |
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Or maybe you'd rather book a free introductory consultation to find out more about how hypnotherapy can you overcome your phobia? This gives you a chance to meet me and decide if we could work together. |